Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 25 : Karnataka BJP President BY Vijayendra on Monday demanded an apology from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over the Dharmasthala case, claiming that the State government has faltered in handling the case.
Addressing reporters here, Vijayendra said that a wrong impression has been created among the public about the government and in this context the Chief Minister must seek forgiveness from the people.
The BJP leader further said that the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) by the State Government to probe into allegations of murders at Dharmasthala, a prominent Hindu institution in Karnataka, was done as someone has influenced the chief minister.
He also questioned how the CM changed his decision overnight in the matter related to a constituency issue and sought to know which individuals, associations, and organisations were behind this change of decision.
The BJP leader added that Siddaramaiah's decision has hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community's devotees.
Drawing parallels with the Chinnaswamy Stadium stampede, Vijayendra added that the Chief Minister had taken a hasty decision in the matter that seems to be moving in the same direction.
Vijayendra's remarks follow those by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya who had on Monday questioned the decision to constitute an SIT in the case. Surya alleged that the SIT was formed hastily without preliminary investigations, sparking concerns about the government's motives.
"I have five specific questions for CM Siddaramaiah, who showed great urgency and enthusiasm in constituting an SIT to investigate the thousands of alleged murders that took place in Dharmsthala. It is now beyond clear that this was a larger conspiracy by an entire ecosystem to defame and destabilise a very important Hindu institution in Karnataka. We are told that a certain section of senior police officers in Karnataka adviced the state government not to hurriedly constitute an SIT before preliminary investigations were made on the allegations made by this unnamed man and verify these credentials...," Surya told ANI.
Meanwhile, the Belthangady Court on Saturday sent the complainant in the Dharmasthala case to 10 days of Special Investigation Team (SIT) custody.